Glad to hear about the trip's good effect on Matilda! I bet this is going to be an experience she treasures all her life.

This is an incredible experience for Matilda. So happy for her.

I've avoided almost all of the vile response from TFG to the crash. Alas, I did see the DEI bit. My first thought was that he looked worse and more clownish than ever. I've started trying to dip into some morning news, on delay so I can fast forward as needed. I was watching BBC news, but I don't get a delay option with that channel. This week I tried CBS morning news. They are more excited about being awake than I am, but they have some arts coverage.

Today I have to clean all the things. I have SIX women arriving in the next couple days. SIL and 5 friends. My sister is also arriving on Monday night, but I am picking her up at the airport at 11 PM and heading directly over the alley to my FL sister's place where I will stay for a few days leaving DH to deal with the house full of women! We have adequate couches/air mattresses for all the bodies, but I can't even imagine where the luggage and toiletries will accumulate. I am leaving six little stacks of beach towel/bath towel/face cloths for each of them on the dining room table. I suspect DH will give up and take Skinner and head to a friend's house and just let the girls have the master bed/bath too. eta: the beach cabana here at the condo has a great private shower in the women's room so that will be a help.

Happy Friday.

Laura that all sounds busy and a little hectic.

What are everyone else’s plans for the weekend?

Tonight I DJ for my dance event. Tomorrow I am joining two friends who live nearby and doing a progressive dinner thing—apps at one, soup at mine, dessert at the third. Just five of us but hoping we can do it again with more in the future. I do need to clean my house before that though, which yikes.

Donating blood this morning was an exercise in nibbled to death by ducks.

First, when I got to the building half of the parking lot was taken up by three massive police SUVs and an ambulance, so I had to back out and park around the corner.

Second, the New York Blood Center suffered a cyber-attack 2 days ago and their computers are all still down, so the site was incredibly backed up with people filling out their intake forms on paper.

Third, my hemocrit was low and they had to do a second finger stick to confirm (second draw was fine, apparently I'm just low in that one finger?)

Fourth, the machine that agitates the blood and measures how much is in the bag was completely nonresponsive at the station they put me in, so they moved me and swapped it out for a working one. The second machine felt strongly that I was bleeding too slowly and should be doing it better, so every few minutes it would beep angrily and one of the nurse techs had to come over and slightly reposition the needle, which hurt like hell.

I have never worked harder for a pack of Lorna Doones and 8 ounces of cranberry juice in my LIFE.

Yikes, that is A Lot, Jess! As a former blood donor (can't anymore due to ... everything) and recent blood recipient, thank you!

The second machine felt strongly that I was bleeding too slowly and should be doing it better, so every few minutes it would beep angrily and one of the nurse techs had to come over and slightly reposition the needle, which hurt like hell.

Oh, I've had that happen, it sucks. Go you persevering and actually getting the donation made! I think at least once I got booted for bleeding too slow (although I think I still got a cookie)

Take an aspirin ahead of time. Thins the blood, but doesn’t affect the donation quality.

I try to overhydrate as much as possible which seems to help, as long as I remember to start the day before donating. Can't take aspirin, otherwise that sounds like a great tip

I’m heading out to the bookstore in a bit with a potential new friend. Trying to remember why anyone would actually want to be my friend.